Knicks Take 3-1 Series Lead as Mitchell and Cavaliers Struggle to Score
Fueled by Jalen Brunson's scoring/playmaking plus stout team defense, the New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-93 to take a 3-1 series lead. Brunson scored a game-high 29 points on 11-22 field goal shooting, and he dished for a team-high six assists. R.J. Barrett added 26 points, and Josh Hart contributed 19 points plus seven rebounds. All-Star Julius Randle struggled mightily, finishing with just seven points on 3-10 field goal shooting plus two rebounds after being benched for the entire fourth quarter.
Darius Garland led the Cavaliers with 23 points and a game-high 10 assists, but the Cavaliers failed to score 100 points for the second time in a row in this series and the third time in four games after exceeding the 100 point barrier in 74 out of their 82 regular season games; the Cavaliers went 2-6 during the regular season when scoring less than 100 points, and they are 0-3 in this playoff series when scoring less than 100 points. All five Cleveland starters scored in double figures, but All-Star Donovan Mitchell had just 11 points on 5-18 field goal shooting along with five assists and a game-high six turnovers.
Last summer, the Cavaliers and the Knicks each acquired a guard to be a spark plug for their respective offenses.
During the regular season, Brunson set career-highs in scoring (24.0 ppg) and assists (6.2 apg) while shooting .491 from the field, including .416 from three point range. Through four games in this series, Brunson is averaging 24.3 ppg and 5.0 apg while shooting .457 from the field, including .280 from three point range.
During the regular season, Mitchell set a career-high in scoring (28.3 ppg), and he averaged 4.4 apg while shooting .484 from the field, including .386 from three point range. Through four games in this series, Mitchell is averaging 22.0 ppg and 7.8 apg while shooting .436 from the field, including .303 from three point range.
Brunson and Mitchell are posting comparable numbers during this series, but Brunson has been more consistent and more efficient while maintaining his regular season level, while Mitchell has been less productive than he was during the regular season. Also, Mitchell ranks seventh in ABA/NBA history in playoff career scoring average--trailing only Michael Jordan, Luka Doncic, Allen Iverson, Kevin Durant, Jerry West, and LeBron James--but his scoring has dropped by 6 ppg in this series.
The Cavaliers are unlikely to win this series if Jalen Brunson plays Donovan Mitchell to a draw; that is a matchup that, with all due respect to Brunson's excellence, Mitchell is expected to win.
It is also interesting to observe the different philosophies of each coaching staff. Tom Thibodeau benched Randle after Randle was ineffective for three quarters, while J.B. Bickerstaff played Mitchell for nine fourth quarter minutes despite Mitchell's poor performance throughout the game. In general, during this series the Knicks seem to be better coached and to display more game plan discipline at both ends of the court. For example, the Cavaliers repeatedly permit left-handed players to drive left-handed to the hoop without shading those players to the right or cutting off their driving lanes to force a pass or a jump shot. The Cavaliers also suffer through scoring droughts without running actions to create easy scoring opportunities for Garland, Mitchell, or the team's big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
The Cavaliers' energy level is not as high as one would expect for a playoff series; in game four, the Knicks outrebounded the Cavaliers 47-33. It is the players' responsibility to bring energy, but there are some coaches who are better than others at inspiring their players to be energetic. One would expect a matchup between the fourth seed and the fifth seed to be competitive, but the fifth seeded Knicks are having their way with the Cavaliers even though--on paper--the Cavaliers look like the more talented and deeper team. Unless the Cavaliers become more focused while bringing a lot more energy and then sustaining that energy for three straight games, the Knicks will soon be advancing to the second round.
Labels: Cleveland Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, New York Knicks
posted by David Friedman @ 1:01 AM
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